UPDATE

It took a Wise County jury only 15 minutes to return the maximum sentence in a sexual assault case Thursday morning. A day after finding Richard Lee Sherman, 37, guilty of indecency with a child by sexual contact, the jury listened to about 30 minutes of testimony and arguments in the punishment phase of the trial before deliberating the sentence and then returning with a verdict of 20 years and a fine of $10,000, the maximum punishment for the second degree felony charge. Because the victim in the case was under 14 at the time of the offense, Sherman was not eligible for probation. The offense happened two years ago at Sherman’s home in Rhome. The victim was his 11-year-old daughter.